Remember Me?
by Raine
Summary: If you've read Once and Again, here's the sequel!
1.

Remember Me

**Remember Me?**

**Chapter One – The Mystery**

** **

**Disclaimer:**Tenchi Muyo and everything related to it belongs to Pioneer.(All of you:Really?No way!I don't believe it!Who the heck is Pioneer?)

Special thanks to Pikabit for the idea.

This story is a sequel to Once and Again,so I suggest you read that first.

"It's pure genius!But what would you expect from the worlds number one mad scientist?"

"You are the greatest, Washu!"

"Washu is number one!"

"Of course I am!I, Washu, am brilliant!"Washu yelled.She waved two fans around, as A and B cheered for her.

"Yay, Washu!"

"We love you, Washu!"

"Uhh….Little Grandma Washu?"Katsu said.He still had the same blue hair that he was born with, but it was dyed at the tips, and spiky.His eyes, which were yellow, looked a little like a cats, but only sometimes.He was wearing this yellow t-shirt, and some jeans.

He had been into science, like Washu, until he was about 5, and then he had lost interest.Needless to say, he had forgotten most of it.Washu had tried to keep him interested in the family, take good care of him, but her career wasn't allowing for it.

Katsu sat down on a nearby stool.He had been watching Washu work on her new invention, until she had started cheering herself.Then it was time to stop her.

"Oh.Yes, Katsu?"She calmed down and put away her fans.

"Little Grandma, what does this machine do?"Washu sighed, as if it were something everyone should be able to figure out easily.To her, it probably seemed like it.

"It's a Parallel Choice Fluctuation Monitorial Device.A PCFMD."

"And that is…?"

"It shows you what is happening in a parallel universe."

_Oh, of course._Katsu thought._Her parallel universe theory._Washu had recently become very interested in the idea that any choice made could create a new universe.

"Grandma Washu, what's so interesting about this parallel universe thing?"Washu glared at him and cleared her throat pointedly.

"Alright!_Little_ Grandma Washu, what's so interesting about this parallel universe thing?"

"Nothing really.It's just…well, it's about Ryoko."

"You mean Mom?"

"Yes, your mother.I miss her very much, you know, even though we never were really close."

"And what does this have to do with the machine?"  
"You'll see."Washu sat down next to a console, flipping switches like crazy.She hit a huge red button, marked "PRESS THIS BUTTON, MIHOSHI!!!"

Katsu had once asked why it said that.Washu replied that she had once known a girl named Mihoshi who would constantly ruined her experiments.She had finally figured out that Mihoshi wouldn't touch anything marked "Touch".And it had been habit ever since.

As she hit the button, a small screen flickered to life.It showed a picture of a cherry blossom tree, gently swaying in the wind.A couple walked by, talking, but Katsu couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Okay, now search…" Washu muttered as she input some information to the console.The screen flickered again, this time showing a spiky blue haired girl playing in a field.It paused for a second, before changing to another picture of the blue haired girl slapping someone.And it changed again, and again, showing the same person over and over.

"Who's that?"Katsu asked, but he knew the answer instinctively.

"That's Ryoko."Washu said softly."Your mother."

"What?But…she's dead, Gra…Little Grandma!"

"In this universe, but not in the ones we're seeing."Another image flickered past…Ryoko kissing someone.

"Who's that, Little Grandma?Is it Dad?"

"No, that's not Tenchi…There he is."She said it a little too calmly, like she was trying to hide her sadness.An image of Ryoko and Tenchi holding hands.Tenchi and Ryoko swinging in the park.Laughing together.And…a fifteen year old, blue haired boy entered the picture, for a second.

"Me?"

"Yes, that's you.That's the you that Ryoko survived with."Katsu stared at the images as they flipped by.

"Little Grandma…is there anything we can do to bring her back?"She turned and looked at him thoughtfully.

"I'll see what I can do."

That night, Katsu lay in bed, the same bed that Tenchi used to lie on, thinking.He was about to go to sleep when Washu walked in.It was unusual, for her.She sat down on the edge of his bed, and holding a notebook.

"Katsu…Ryoko left me something when she died.I would have given it to you sooner, but, I…well, I misplaced it.Anyway, here."She thrust the notebook into his hands, and kissed him goodnight.

Katsu stared as she left the room.Washu _never_ acted like that!Even with a grandchild to take care of, it was still "Little Washu" this and "Little Washu" that.She had never displayed any maternal impulses before!

He shook his head and opened the notebook.

When he finally finished the notebook, there were tears running down his face.

"It's not like you haven't heard it all before!"He told himself."You barely even knew her anyway!"Still, hearing it from his mother's point of view was a heart-wrenching thing.

As he flipped through the last pages of the notebook, photographs fell onto his bed.All of them showed Ryoko.Ryoko laughing, Ryoko singing on an old karaoke machine, Ryoko, just standing there.Ryoko, hugging Tenchi.Ryoko holding a blue haired baby.

He blinked quickly to keep more tears from coming.

_Mom…_

Washu thought about Katsu's wish.And the more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible.

"Yes, I could put a thermonuclear insulator around the acrono gauge and bi-tempular conductor…then a platinum mercury chip there, and a fraculating processor…"She sighed, and sketched out the design, blinking sleep from her eyes.She smiled as she worked."Whew!This is going to cost a fortune, but its worth it!"

Ryoko…her daughter.She had been one of the worst and best things in Washu's life.

"Space Pirate Ryoko has been spotted near the Alpha Megami.She is wanted on Universal Charges of the murders of over a thousand people, multiple counts of theft, robbery, kidnapping, evasion of justice, armed assault, and numerous other charges.Her last crime was the kidnapping of the King of Hirrobi.He is apparently being ransomed for the Jewel of Hirrobi.The Jewel is famous for its life-saving powers.It saved the life of King Ardin III of Hirrobi when an assassin attempted to kill him…." She remembered watching it, fearfully, from her room at the space academy.

"That's my daughter!"She had wanted to cry out."You can't kill her!"

_Ryoko, why?Why did you have to leave?Why did you have to…die?_Washu ignored the tears that dripped onto her sketch.

And then Ryoko had ignored her, hated her, when she had met her for the first time since she was a baby.

"Yes, _mom._"An insult, not a loving title.She hadn't believed Washu until she was trapped.

"Ryoko…"Washu sobbed.She almost wished that she could erase her memory, forget.But then who would take care of Katsu?

After she stopped crying and dried her face, Washu went back to work; more determined that ever to bring Ryoko back.

Katsu walked sleepily into Washu's lab.

"Morning!Or should I say afternoon?You slept long enough!"

"What??"

"Come on, get dressed, have breakfast, and wake up!We have work to do!"

"What?"

"I'll tell you later."

Katsu shook water off his face as he struggled to wake up.He filled up another glass with clear, ice-cold water, and poured it on his face.Checking that the towel was still wrapped firmly around his waist, he walked out into the hall.

It was empty, devoid of even the robots that Washu used to fetch things.He walked towards his room, almost loosing his towel in the process.Safely inside his room, he threw the towel towards a wall.It fell through the wood paneling, and a faint mechanical noise could be heard as the towel was cleaned.

He slipped into some black pants and a blue shirt that was open at the front.Running his hand through his blue hair he thought about what Washu had said.

"You slept long enough!"Was as far as he got before his stomach growled to him.

"Oops!Breakfast!"Katsu ran downstairs and poured himself a bowl of "Little Washu's Magically Good Cereal!It's Good!"andsat down at the table to finish thinking about the conversation.

"There you are, Katsu!It's about time!"Washu called to him over the noise of machines.

"Little Grandma, what's this all about?"

"No time to explain now!I'm busy!I'll explain when everyone else gets here!"

"Everyone else?"

"Yep!Here, do me a favor.Call all of these people, and tell them to be here in two days.OR ELSE."

"Two days?Whats in two days?"

"I'M BUSY!"Washu yelled, telling him that it was time to leave.

Katsu sat down in an office chair, next to a miniature computer.

"Let's see…first number is…GP11780220C."He stared at the number."I'm supposed to call _that?_But it's a Galaxy Police _Classified_ number!For their top detectives!"Katsu sighed and typed the number into the video-computer.Washu _had _said to call all of them, and she got mad when the little things didn't happen.

"Galaxy Police Detectives First Class Mihoshi and Kiyone. (Katsu looked at his piece of paper.Yep, that was right.) Mihoshi speaking!Oh, hey, you're cute!You know, I once knew this guy that looked kind of like you, but he couldn't have been you because he had brown eyes and…"A blonde wearing a GP uniform babbled at him.

"Umm….Detective Mihoshi?"

"What?"She looked at him innocently through the screen.

"I need to speak to Detective Kiyone."He said, not mentioning that his sheet also said in large, underlined letters "**DON'T TALK TO MIHOSHI!!!**"

"Oh, okay then!Kiyone!Uh, Kiyone?Where is she?She was here just a second ago, where could she be?Maybe she went to talk to the Commander about a pay raise, I mean, we can't even afford to go tanning more than once a week!I think that should be a crime, don't you?"

"You were getting Kiyone…?"He reminded her.

"Oh, that's right.Kiyone!Oh, there she is."

"Hello, this is Detective First Class Kiyone.May I ask who is calling?"

"This is Katsuhito Masaki, calling on behalf of Washu.She said you'd know her."

"Yeah, I know her.Your last name is Masaki?Are you related to Tenchi?"

"Yeah, he's my father."

"Really?Whose your mother?"

"The Space Pirate Ryoko."Surprise registered on Kiyone's face.

"Oh, really?So Ryoko did get him after all."

"Ummm, Detective Kiyone, can we get back on subject?"

"Oh, of course.What does Washu want?"

"I don't really know myself.She just told me to tell you to be here, on earth, in two days. Or else."Kiyone cringed.

"She'd probably blow up the GP HQ…" Kiyone muttered."Oh, sorry.No offense meant."

"None taken."

"Mihoshi and I will be there."

"JRH1Q."He typed it into the computer, not realizing what he was dialing.

"Hello, this is Queen Sasami!Hey, who are you?This is my _private _phone.No calls from press or citizens!"Katsu stared open mouthed at the beautiful blue haired woman on the screen in front of him.

"Hello?"He shook his head and shut his mouth, but had to open and close it a few times before his voice worked.

"Sorry.This isn't a press or citizen call."

"Then who are you?"

"My name is Katsuhito Yosho Nobiyuki Masaki.I'm calling on behalf of Washu."

"Masaki?Are you, by any chance, related to Tenchi Masaki?"Her eyes shone hopefully.

"Yeah, he's my father."

"Really?And your mother…?"

"Ryoko."Sasami smiled and he almost fell off of his chair.

"That's great!I'm happy he got over Ayeka.Tenchi deserved much better."Her eyes clouded over like she was remembering.

"Excuse me, but aren't you Ayeka's sister?"

"I was.So what did Washu want me for?"She said, changing the subject quickly.

"She didn't say.She won't tell me, either.All that I know is you're supposed to be here in two days.Or else."Like Kiyone, Sasami flinched and muttered.

"She'd probably blow up Jurai or something…"

"Actually, I don't think she'd go that far."

"What?Oh, sorry.You weren't supposed to hear that."

"So, will you be there?"

"Sure!"She winked at him cutely."Talk to you then!"And she blew him a kiss, before closing the connection.

Katsu fell off of his chair, and stared at the ceiling with a dreamy expression.

"Wow…" He breathed.He couldn't believe that his father hadn't chosen her!He thought about this, then thanked God (errr…should this be the kamis?I don't know much about Shinto) for that.

The next two days past pretty uneventfully.Washu was caught up in whatever she was working on in her lab, and barely had time to thank him for calling the girls.Katsu spent the time dreaming about Sasami.

Drawings of Sasami began springing up on to every wall of his room, except for the cleaning wall.He kept the good ones, but he knew that no picture could ever capture Sasami's beauty.

He'd seen photos of Sasami from when she was on earth, but they were all of when she was younger.Her hair was a darker blue, now, she was taller, and her hair wasn't in pigtails anymore.In all of the pictures he had seen, she had been wearing simple kimonos, but now she wore elaborately stitched ones, layered on top of each other.

Poems lay in piles on his desk."Sasami, you are so lovely, queen of my heart.""Sasami, So far away, I miss you before I've met you.""Sasami.Beautiful.Queen.I love you."

_Sasami._Katsu thought._Please come to me soon._

Authors Note:AHHH! We have a severe problem!See, I've been swamped with one of the best and worst things ever…AN OVERFLOW OF IDEAS!!So if this isn't added to for a while, now you know why!


	2. Another Ryoko

Washu was putting the finishing touches on her project, when the door opened behind her, and someone spoke.

"Hi Washu!We aren't late or anything, are we?Kiyone thought that we might be and she was scared that you might get angry and blow up the Headquarters or something, but you would never do that, would you Washu?Oh, hey, what's this?'Mihoshi, press this.'Oh, what does it do?I'll bet this button does it!See, it says 'DO NOT TOUCH!'"Washu grimaced.She hadn't heard that voice for a long time, and that had been just fine with her.

"Hello, Kiyone, Mihoshi."She turned around and smiled at them, trying hard to be polite.Mihoshi, having pressed the button, was watching a blinking light bulb.Kiyone was trying to pry her away from it.

"Hello, Washu….MIHOSHI!"

"Don't worry about it, Kiyone.That bulb will-" KLUNK!Mihoshi fell over and snored loudly."- Put her right to sleep.There!"

Kiyone smiled."Thank god!"She dragged her slumbering partner out through the door, again, presumably back to the ship.

"Are people here already?"Katsu asked as he walked in the door.

"Yep!I got rid of Mihoshi for a while, though.She won't wake up until Sasami is here, at least."

"Sasami?"Katsu smiled happily."When's Sasami coming?"

Washu glanced at him and laughed."Oh, you like her, do you?"He blushed.

Kiyone walked back through the door then, sparing him from further embarrassment.

"Oh, hello, Katsu.How are you?"She asked him.

"Great, what about you?"He said politely.

"Fine."

"Well, nice that you two recognize each other.Kiyone, there's something over there that you'll want to see."She nodded to her side, and then went back to work.

"Washu has a great work ethic, doesn't she?"Kiyone observed as she and Katsu walked to the area Washu had indicated.A large object stood there, covered by a white cloth.

"Yeah."Katsu said, almost sadly."She does."

Kiyone pulled the cloth down as a voice announced, "If you are Kiyone, then this amazing machine is for you and the Galaxy Police!It is strongly advised to keep it away from Mihoshi, or it could be disastrous to your health!And now, I, the Greatest Genius in the Universe, Little Washu, present to you…. THE FABULOUS, FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL…. CAMOFLAGE CUBE, 2.0!"

A human-sized, clear cube was revealed.Kiyone gaped at it.

"Oh, wow!This is amazing!"Kiyone said in wonderment as the voice continued.

"Yep, the Camouflage Cube 2.0!It can morph you, transport you, and hide you!Enjoy!"

"What is it?"Katsu asked her.Kiyone took her eyes off the cube for a moment to stare at him.

"You're Grandmother is a Genius Scientist, you've lived with her all of your life, and you don't know what this _is_?"

"I don't like science!Why does everyone think that?"He yelled at her, angering suddenly.Katsu stormed off to his room.

Kiyone stared at him again, but decided that the cube was more important.Sticking her hand into it, she felt a tingling sensation as she thought of a chameleon, an earth animal that was said to camouflage itself.Pulling out her hand, she discovered that is was colored many shades of green, and clawed.Setting it against her pants, it began to change slowly, just like real chameleons would.

She stepped into the cube entirely, and discovered that she was still able to breathe, even though she was enclosed in a jelly-like substance.Her clothes had been dropped outside.Imagining a Kiaian, a Juraian animal much like a bobcat, she felt her body go numb for a second as she changed, and was thrust out of the cube.

_This is so much better than the first one!_She thought.In the first one, it had been excruciatingly painful to change, and many people had died because they couldn't get out.

"I see you like my invention, Kiyone."Washu told the Kiaian as it sat up.Kiyone growled in reply."I figured that the numbness could solve that problem with changing, what do you think?"Kiyone growled again, and nodded her head.Then, she stood up and leapt back into the cube, emerging a few seconds later as Mihoshi.

"Oops." She said, looking down at her naked body, or, more precisely, Mihoshi's.

"You were thinking about Mihoshi, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was just imagining what could happen if she ever found this."Kiyone replied, before slipping back into the cube.This time, she emerged as herself.

"Well, you could always do this…" Washu said, grabbing the cube and pressing on the sides until it was the size of a die."There!"

"Thank you, Miss Washu."

"Hey, you're welcome…. but only if you call me 'LITTLE WASHU'!"Kiyone grimaced.

"Thank you, Little Washu."

"Then, you're very very welcome!"Washu beamed.

_Still the same Washu…_Kiyone thought, walking to another area of the lab.

"Washu?"Sasami knocked on the door, and walked in.She felt almost lonely without her usual guard, no matter how much of nuisance they were.It had been hard to get away, but she told herself that it was worth it.

"Over here!"Washu yelled, from somewhere off to her left.Sasami walked towards her voice, and greeted her.

"The Juraian Empire gives you salutations and wishes you –"She stopped as Washu glared at her.

"I'm going to be your mother for just a second here, Sasami.You aren't Queen of Jurai for these next few days."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"She said nervously.Washu glared at her.

"Jurai wishes you well, and-oh, fine!"She sighed."Little Washu!I missed you _so_ much!"Sasami squealed, hugging Washu.

"That's better.How was your trip?"

"The trip was fine.I had a _horrible_ time convincing the guards and nobles and everyone to let me go at all, then with no guard.They seemed to think that you might try to harm me."A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Hmph!Some people!"

"Yes, I know, Washu."

"Sasami, have you merged with Tsunami yet?"Washu asked suddenly.

"Yeah, long time ago.Technically I'm Queen Sanami, but it doesn't make much difference."

"I see.Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll still call you Sasami."

"That's fine."

"But, shouldn't you seem different, or something?Besides looking older?"

"No, not really.We are so alike that there's barely any difference.We quarrel over something every once in a while, but it's more like a quarrel between yourself."

"Sasami, would you mind doing something for me?" Washu's face lit up."See that plant?The one with the big purple flower?"Sasami nodded."Would you water it for me?"

"Sure!"Sasami agreed.She walked over to the plant."Gee, Washu, this smells good."SNAP!The plant closed its vines around her, and she was knocked out by the flower's scent.

"Yay!A guinea pig!"Dozens of plastic tubes attached themselves to Sasami, as Washu brought up her laptop.She analyzed the data quickly, and stored it, before Sasami could wake up.

Just after Washu finished, Sasami woke up to find herself sprawled on the floor.

"What happened?"She asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.Washu helped her sit up and gave her a drink that would clear her head.

"I needed to do a few tests on you, but I figured you would resist if you were awake.Sorry."Washu stood up when Sasami did.

"Washu, that wasn't very nice.You don't need my data, anyway.Why don't you just do a test on yourself?"She scowled and stomped away.

Washu stared."A test on myself?What did she mean?"

"Bye, bye Miss America Pie!"Sasami heard from a room nearby.

"What kind of song is that?"She wondered to herself, opening the door it seemed to be coming from.

That was a mistake.Just inside, not quite hidden by mist, was Katsu, singing in the shower.

"Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above, if the Bible tells you so?"He continued obliviously.

Sasami stared at him, unable to move.Her Queenly-ness warred with her innocence, and innocence finally won.She stood in the doorway, watching him sing. (Since he knew the whole song, this took a while.)She was going to leave, when he turned towards the door.

Katsu stared.There, watching him, was Sasami._Sasami._He had never thought that she would get anywhere near him, but there she was, in the bathroom with him.

He wanted, so badly, to go and kiss her, but one does not do that to the Queen of Jurai._The Queen of Jurai._He reminded himself.She would never love you.You aren't worthy of her.

Sasami noticing that he had seen her, turned bright red, and managed to smile weakly before walking away.She sighed happily as soon as she was away from the bathroom.Washu's grandson, he was so handsome!But she, like Katsu, could not act upon her feelings.

Kiyone walked out of the shadows, as soon as Sasami left.She had seen the whole thing, and was not very happy with either of them.

_He's exactly like Tenchi!_She thought._He can't act upon love either.I'll have to help them._

Kiyone remembered her and Tenchi.She had once been like Sasami and Katsu, afraid to love Tenchi.If she had only done something, kissed him, told him, anything, Ryoko might be alive, Ayeka might be alive, and they wouldn't have had these problems.Tenchi would have loved her, not some bitch from Jurai.

She would help them, she decided.She would not let another love fail.

"Attention everyone!"Washu said into a microphone on her computer, still wondering about what Sasami had said.Inside her ship, Mihoshi woke up."Please report to my main lab immediately."

"Now what, Washu?"Kiyone asked, once everyone was assembled in her lab.Katsu and Sasami were shooting alternate embarrassed glances at each other, then looking away so they couldn't see the other's look.

"Now, you get to see what you came here for."Washu said.She showed them a large glass cylinder, and the mass of cords attached to it.

"This is my Dimensional Thrusting Device.A DTD.It can transport anyone to another dimension, and it can transport anyone back."

"Oh, wow!"Mihoshi said.

"That's great, Washu, but why do we need to see it?"

"Because, ladies and gentleman, this machine will give us back our Ryoko."

Everyone stared at her in silence.

"What do you-"

"Are you trying to tell us that-"

"I don't get it."

"You're kidding."They all tried to talk at once.

"Please, please, save your talk for afterwards."Washu told them."It might not even work!"

She reached over towards the screen of her Parallel Choice Fluctuation Monitorial Device, the TV-like device from before, and turned it on.It automatically searched for any traces of Ryoko, showing them on the screen again.

"Wow!"Sasami exclaimed."It's Ryoko!"

"Yes, but it only shows her there.You notice how fast its changing?There are billions of Ryoko's out there.I can't get a personality match, or this would be a lot more accurate.I can't be completely certain of which Ryoko out of a billion that I will get."

She reached over to her DTD, switching it on.It hummed slowly to life, and the cylinder was glowing slightly.It took several seconds to enter the sequence, and she had some trouble prying the 'child-proof' door off of the button.She paused, as if to make sure this was right, and pressed the 'initiation' button.

Lightning crackled through the wires, as the machine started its work.Sasami looked over at the PCFMD, and wished that she hadn't.

On the screen, a Ryoko was screaming, being sucked into an invisible hole.As she disappeared from the screen, Sasami turned back.Ryoko had appeared in the cylinder, her arms hanging loosely at her sides, and her head thrown back.The machine let out a rumble, then turned off.Ryoko woke up.

She stared around her for a moment, regaining her senses.Glaring around the room, she seemed to recognize no one.

_Uh-oh._Thought Washu._This could be bad._

Washu was right. Seconds later, the glass cylinder exploded, as Ryoko charged at them.Kiyone acted instinctively, grabbing her gun and shooting at the elusive target.Even with all of her training, she was not a match for the angry pirate.A punch to her head quickly knocked her unconscious.

Mihoshi, of course, couldn't do anything but scream "Stop in the name of the Galaxy Police!"and shoot around the room aimlessly.Katsu ducked as a blast whizzed over his head.Ryoko didn't even bother to finish her off.

Meanwhile, everyone else hid. Ryoko disappeared quickly, leaving them to wonder what had gone wrong.

"I got the wrong Ryoko, didn't I?" Washu said, looking stunned."That's the Space Pirate my daughter once was.That's the Ryoko that never met Tenchi."


	3. The Search

Sasami started crying, and Katsu ran towards her, forgetting his embarrassment.Kiyone, having woken up with a huge headache, managed to smile slightly at the sight, then turn to Washu.

"Miss Washu?May I ask what went wrong?"

"Nothing.Remember before, I told you that it would pick one Ryoko out of a billion to bring here?It chose her.That's a Ryoko that has never known us, never known anything but space pirating.Apparently she's still a pirate, even without Kagato."Washu straightened and walked over to her computer, which had a big hole in it.She sighed."This will take some time to fix.For now, we can't send her back."

"What should we do, Washu?"Sasami asked, having regained her composure."Won't Ryoko head right for Jurai, now?"

"She might, but we don't know that for sure.Anyway, we've got to keep track of her and get her back, as soon as possible."Washu set her hands forward, like she was typing, and her computer appeared.Typing something on it, a black hole appeared in the air, and a small, sphere shaped object fell out into Washu's waiting hand.She dropped it onto the floor.

"Activate Chaser."The sphere glowed, and tiny pricks of green light appeared around it."DNA Search Ryoko.Map."A red dot appeared among the green ones, traveling at great speed.

"There she is." Washu pointed to the dot.It streaked across the 'map' of the galaxy, sometimes disappearing and reappearing elsewhere.

"What should we do?"Kiyone asked, then winced, holding her head. Washu noticed and walked over to her.

"Here, we have to get that scanned."Dragging Kiyone over to a metal table, she motioned for her to lie down.As Kiyone did so, Washu attached what looked like a large metal bar to the table, next to Kiyone's head.

"Stay still for a second.I'm going to check for any brain damage, ok?That Ryoko of mine can be pretty strong."The metal bar moved along the edge of the table, a line of light running down the center of it as it scanned Kiyone's head.An X-ray of her head appeared when Washu typed something to her computer.

Washu stared at it intently, and sighed."Good.You're fine, but you're going to have one heck of a bruise.You are very lucky she wasn't out to kill, just then."

Kiyone smiled tiredly, sitting up."I know."

Washu and Kiyone walked back to Katsu and Sasami, who were looking at the universe map.Sasami had stopped crying, and they were standing away from each other.

"Miss Washu, she's near Polaris VII."Sasami said.

"I believe that you are right, Sasami."Washu said after a second, looking at the landmarks on the 3-D map."Then she is headed for Jurai, after all."

"It's amazing that she can travel so fast!" Kiyone commented."It would have taken Yagami and us several days to get that far."

"Yes, that is very far.Very far."Mihoshi noticed helpfully.

"Well, she is amazing, isn't she?"Washu pointedly ignored Mihoshi."Of course, she was built by a genius!"

"Grandma, what are we going to do?"Katsu asked in worry."We can't get there that fast!"

"We could if Ryo-ohki was still around."Sasami said sadly.

"What happened to Ryo-Ohki, anyway?"Kiyone asked.

"She died when Ryoko did.Ryo-Ohki can't live without Ryoko." Washu said, as she shuffled through a pile of mechanisms.

"Shouldn't she be back then?"

"No.Ryoko can live without Ryo-Ohki, just not vice-versa."

"Oh."

Washu smiled and raised a small, metal object up in triumph."This should do the trick."

Everyone stared at her.

"What is it?"Sasami asked.

"It's only a Molecular Teleporter!It transports your molecules to wherever.Watch!"She set the machine down on the ground, and pressed a blue button.It whirred slightly as lights turned on.Washu brought up her computer and typed something in.A black hole appeared above the machine, and arm-like appendages rose from the machine to hold it.Taking the flower that she had earlier used to capture Sasami, Washu chucked in into the hole.White lighting played along the edges as it closed, and there was a zipping noise while another hole opened behind them.The plant fell out, still intact, only…different.

"What did you do to it, Washu?"Kiyone said in horror.The roots were where the stem should be, the stem was laying, inside out, where the flower used to be, and the flower, which was completely off of the plant, was wilted and smelled like dirt.

"It should have worked…I don't know what went wrong!Well, _now _what do we do?"Washu asked confusedly.

"You don't know, Grandma?"Katsu asked.

"Umm, sure I know!The Greatest Genius in the Universe always has the answer!"

Kiyone sighed and stepped backwards, only to trip over Mihoshi.She toppled over backwards, arms flailing, and fell on top of her dozing partner.

"Huh?What?Oh, hi Kiyone!Were you tired too?I was taking a nap, cause all of this talk was sooo boring…ooh, hey, what's this?It looks like my cube; did Grandpa give you one too?Maybe he did, because we're partners and all that, but he never seemed like that kind of guy, hey, can this thing get me some fries?I really want some fries, all of this talking has made me sooo hungry, can you believe it, Kiyone?Are you hungry too?I'm getting used to being hungry, though, because we never have enough food, isn't that right, Kiyone?I wish Grandpa would send us some, its too bad, really…Why are you all looking at me funny?Its kind of scary, you should be more careful about who you stare at.I'm sensitive, you know."

"Mihoshi, hand over the cube."Washu and Kiyone said.Katsu and Sasami looked confused, wondering why the cube was so important.Katsu started wishing he had stayed to listen to Kiyone's explanation.

"Okay, why, though?Do you want fries, too?"

Kiyone snatched the cube from Mihoshi, and Washu smiled.

"I am so smart, aren't I?"Washu said."I knew that was exactly what we needed."

"It can't do weapons, though, can it, Washu?" Kiyone asked.

"No, I'll have to stay behind and take care of those.Kiyone, you have to be there to work the machines."

"Okay, so Mihoshi, Katsu, Sasami, and I will go to her."

"We'll _what?_"Katsu asked in surprise.

"You are going to trap Ryoko, and stop her from reaching Jurai.Our trap will bring her to the planet Alyyia 6."

"Isn't that a little close to Jurai?"Sasami asked.

"It will have to do.Ryoko's traveling too fast to stop her any sooner.We will intercept her as she travels past the planet, and force her to the surface.When she reaches the surface, I can prevent her from leaving the planet.Kiyone and Mihoshi will set up the energy capture that will send her back to her own universe.

"Katsu and Sasami will get her to the designated point.A circle of water that shines very brightly will mark it, a circle about 10 ft in diameter.Ryoko must be inside this area for the transfer to work-unfortunately, anyone caught inside this ring at the point of transfer will be sent with her.You will have about twenty minutes after landing on Alyya 6 to get Ryoko in place, and get out of there."

"It sounds impossible!How are we supposed to find a 'circle of water' out of a whole planet?"

"It won't be hard.You'll see."Washu smiled.

"It 'shines brightly'…huh.Well, she won't want to go anywhere near that!I can see it from here!"Katsu muttered.

"Yeah, that's true."Sasami told him. They were waiting outside of the planet, dressed in the Ryo-Ohki space suits that Washu had made so long ago.Sasami had been on the verge of tears when she saw them.

"This is pretty anticlimactic!I thought we would do much less waiting."

"Trust me, you'd be a lot happier if all we were doing was waiting."

"Do you guys see her?She should be here by now!"Kiyone said.

"Where's Mihoshi?"Sasami asked.

"I don't see her anywhere."Kiyone said, spinning around.

Katsu blinked, and suddenly a yellow-eyed, cat-like woman was in front of him.She smiled sweetly and held up something, shoving it into his face.

"Looking for this?"She asked him.He heard her quite clearly, although the void of space should have sucked away the words.He cried out as he realized what was being thrust at him.

It was Mihoshi, and she didn't look well.


End file.
